


Dignity

by ThePenguinOfDeath



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Equestrian, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Sports, Asshole Loki, Competition, Cute, Equestrian, F/M, Happy Ending, Horseback Riding, Horses, Kissing, Light Angst, Non-Canon Relationship, Past Character Death, Teasing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-11
Updated: 2014-05-26
Packaged: 2018-01-24 09:46:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,810
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1600388
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThePenguinOfDeath/pseuds/ThePenguinOfDeath
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Darcy is the groom for world-class British event rider Jane Foster. The pair have travelled to Badminton Horse Trials, one of the biggest events in the world, where Darcy encounters the new bane of her life, Loki Laufeyson. Loki might be the best rider she's ever seen, but that doesn't mean he's not an ass...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Stuck-Up Riders

**Author's Note:**

> Seeing as this was Badminton Horse Trials weekend, I decided to do a Badminton Horse Trials AU. It shouldn't be very many chapters long, maybe three, but not more than around five (probably). I tried not to use too much confusing equestrian terminology, but just in case here 's a quick summary:
> 
> Badminton is one of just 6 'four star' events in the world (the most difficult level). So basically, it's very prestigious and very difficult, and only the best of the best compete in it. If you want to know just how hard it is, then this year, 77 started the cross-country phase and only 35 completed. (That is quite unusual but the bad weather this year made it more difficult). The sport of eventing is in three phases – dressage, cross country and show jumping. Dressage is kind of like ballet for horses, cross-country is galloping very fast over a long distance and over a series of large solid jumps, and show jumping is a series of closely-packed jumps in an arena. I apologise to anyone equestrian I offended with those simplified summaries. If you want to know more, google it, but that shouldn't be necessary for this fic.
> 
> If you find any more terminology confusing please tell me so I can stick a 'rough guide' in the next chapter.
> 
> Enjoy!

Darcy really hated stuck-up riders.

True, she wasn't as talented as they were. That was perfectly obvious. If she had that level of skill then she would be competing, rather than acting as groom/PA/slave to Jane Foster. But that didn't give them the right to treat her like garbage. Grooms were almost as essential at an event like this as the stupid rider themselves. If they didn't recognise that, then they didn't deserve to ride here.

Rolling her eyes, Darcy shifted the saddle in her arms and opened the door of the temporary tack room with her hip. To be honest, most of the riders here were lovely. Jane herself was a complete sweetheart, even if she was absurdly absent-minded and had a tendency to forget to put her hat on before going to warm up. There were just a select few who turned their noses up every time Darcy ran past to look for a missing headcollar, or asked what she was doing when she wandered into the marquee where all of the riders ate.

There were two other grooms already polishing leather in the tack room, and Darcy grinned as she set the saddle down.

"Hey guys. How's it going?"

Ian gave Darcy a nervous wave. She had dated him for a few months last season, back when he was an assistant groom at Jane's yard, but she had broken it off when he had moved to be travelling groom for Clint Barton. They were still sort of friends, but that was made a bit difficult by Ian's lingering crush.

"Clint's fifth after dressage with Hawkeye, so he's pretty happy. A bit annoyed that Tasha's ahead of him though."

Darcy grinned. The rivalry between Clint Barton and Natasha Romanoff was legendary. They had first encountered each other at the World Equestrian Games ten years ago – Clint had been defending his title but had come second to Natasha by just 0.2 penalties. Since then, the pair had made it their mission to beat the other in every competition. They were also currently engaged, which Darcy had smelt coming from a mile off.

"You can never really tell with Nick. SHIELD seemed to go well, but while 16th is good it isn't fantastic. As for his round on Patch, I doubt he's happy at all with 42nd, even if it has only been the dressage." Maria didn't look up from tack cleaning as she spoke.

Darcy winced sympathetically. Nick Fury was a wonderful rider, even if he was getting old, but he was a horrible boss. She had worked for him as an assistant groom back in her training days, and he was not nice to be around when he got angry.

"Jane seems thrilled with ninth, but then she's thrilled with anything. I marvel at her optimism. I still think the judges should have deducted points because she named her horse Astrophysics though."

Maria laughed. "I've heard worse. I can't even pronounce half of the names Natasha gives her horses. Black Widow's the only one that's anything close to sensible – all the others are far too Russian."

Darcy nodded her agreement, busying herself polishing Jane's tack. It seemed strange cleaning it now when it wouldn't be used again for two weeks – and it would have to be cleaned again before then – but it was best not to argue with Jane. She didn't get angry, but she got this disappointed look that made Darcy feel like she'd kicked a puppy.

Voices sounded from outside the door, and Darcy cocked her head to one side to listen.

"Sounds like Jane and Thor. Do you reckon he's managed to ask her out yet?"

Thor Odinson was an American rider, and Jane had the biggest crush on him Darcy had ever seen. It would have been pathetic, except he obviously had the same feelings back. He had so far avoided asking Jane out because of the distance, but he was staying in the UK to train this year so Darcy couldn't work out why the pair weren't properly dating yet.

"Five quid says he won't get round to it this weekend." Ian pulled a crumpled five pound note out of his pocket.

"Done. He's not quite that bad." Maria pulled out a note of her own and waved it at Ian.

"I'm not betting on my employer. That said, if I was going to, I'd go with Maria. Sorry Ian." Darcy finished polishing the saddle and moved on to the bridle, fiddling with the buckles to remove the fancy browband.

Maria smiled, before standing up, pulling a saddle cover over her own dressage saddle. "Well, I'm sure I'll see you guys at feed time tonight. If you see Bucky, tell him hi from me." Picking up her saddle and bridle, Maria left the room.

Ian's eyes followed her as she left, before looking down at his own tack. "I don't know how you two clean so quickly. I still have to shine both stirrups and I've been here for ages."

"Practice." Darcy supplied. "And a general lack of patience. I don't see the need to make the saddle competition standard when I'll clean it again before the next competition. Even this I'll probably clean again before it's used, just in case."

The door swung open, and Darcy grinned as she noticed Bucky. "Hey, Buck. Nice plaits on American Boy earlier."

Bucky's eyes crinkled as he sat down, carefully putting down his saddle. "Thanks Darcy. It's a pity he didn't perform as well as he looked. Steve's in 20th on Stars and Stripes, but American Boy's down in 60th."

"He'll improve on that. Dressage is his weakest phase. It's cross country that really counts anyway. I doubt Steve minds."

"Of course not, but he'd think he did well if he was in last. It generally doesn't bother him. I would have thought he'd have been worried about losing his place on the US squad to Thor, but he's so gentlemanly."

Darcy hummed in agreement. Steve Rogers was a great rider, but he was more famous for his gentlemanly attitude and (amongst the grooms) his status as 'still a virgin'. Apparently he hadn't dated since his girlfriend Peggy had died in a cross country accident twenty years ago. It had been a tragedy, a shock rotational fall that resulted in a broken neck. Even after all this time it was one of the worst Eventing deaths ever.

Deeming the bridle to be clean enough, Darcy buckled everything back together and stood up.

"I'll see you guys at feed time. Bucky, Maria says hi by the way."

Collecting her saddle, Darcy nudged the door open with her hip again, making her way towards Jane's horsebox. She was just admiring Tony Stark's Iron Horse being lunged out of the corner of her eye when she almost collided with someone.

"Oops, I'm so sorry! Wasn't watching where I was going."

The figure in front of her – a tall, dark haired man with extremely piercing green eyes – stared down at her for a moment.

"No, I can see that." He finally replied, before elegantly moving past her and walking away.

Darcy glared at his retreating figure. How rude! This was what she meant by stuck-up riders. She should have been watching where she was going, but she hadn't physically walked into him, so he had no reason to act so haughty.

Reaching the horsebox, Darcy stowed the dressage saddle and bridle in storage before checking that the tack for cross-country tomorrow was ready. Satisfied, she checked her watch before deciding to go and find Jane. She needed to know if Jane wanted Astro lead out for a bite of grass before feed time.

Spotting Jane's head in a gaggle of riders, Darcy wandered over, calling out as she went.

"Yo, Jane! Do you want me to take Astro out for grass?"

Jane turned, and a few of the riders she was with turned as well. Darcy recognised Thor and Natasha, as well as the irritating man from earlier. He had a disapproving look on his face. Darcy resisted the urge to poke out her tongue.

"Oh! I was going to lead him out earlier. I'm so sorry Darcy." Jane looked apologetic.

"Don't sweat it boss lady, that's what I'm here for. You just focus on strategising for tomorrow. I put your whip on top of the spare grooming kit if you're wondering where it's gone."

Jane smiled gratefully, and Darcy turned on her heel, this time heading towards the stables. She absently wondered if Jane would have put Astros's headcollar on the door where it was supposed to be.

Fortunately, the headcollar was on its hook, and Darcy stroked Astro's face as she slipped it on.

"Alright boy, we're just going to get some grass, ok? Try not to be too greedy, you have a big day tomorrow."

Leading Astro out, Darcy noticed Pepper with Arc Reactor in front of Badminton House and decided to join her. Pepper smiled as they approached.

"I think Archie believes he's in an eating contest not an Eventing one." She joked.

Darcy laughed. "Astro's normally the same. Keeping his weight down in the winter his horrible."

"Tell me about it." Pepper agreed. "At least Tony's finally invested in a horse walker. I was wondering how long I' have to pester him for before I just gave up and ordered one myself."

"Perks of being married to your boss."

Pepper blushed, and Darcy smiled. Tony and Pepper were the most adorable couple on the circuit. Not many riders would think of marrying their grooms, but Tony wasn't quite as much of an asshole as he first appeared.

Most of the time, anyway.

Hooves clopped behind Darcy, and she glanced over her shoulder to see the man from earlier leading a beautiful black horse. She couldn't remember it from dressage, but it was possible they had completed their test the previous day.

"Pepper."The man greeted cordially, before turning to Darcy. His eyes flickered in recognition but he said nothing.

"Loki. Where's Erik?" Pepper sounded warm, and Darcy was surprised that the two were friends. Perhaps it wasn't grooms that this man – Loki –disliked. Maybe it was just her. Dickhead.

"I believe he is overseeing Chitauri being reshod. I decided to take Sleipnir out myself. He did very well today."

His voice was surprisingly nice when he wasn't being condescending. Darcy shivered. Attraction to judgemental pricks wasn't allowed.

"You must have had an early test." Darcy guessed. She would have expected to remember such a nice looking black horse.

Loki's eyes flickered to hers. "It was fairly early, yes. I had the advantage of the good weather. Then again, I would like to feel some skill was involved in my placing to."

Darcy blinked. She had a feeling he had taken her words wrongly.

"I meant I don't recognise you. Or the horse. I watched most of the tests, but I don't remember yours. I wasn't trying to insult you?" She knew she sounded uncertain.

Fortunately, Loki accepted her words. "We were the third combination to go today. I apologise if I interpreted your words incorrectly, I have had many comments regarding being first after dressage despite never having competed at Badminton Horse Trials before."

"You're first? Dude. That's awesome." Darcy was surprised. She had expected Phil Coulson to be first after dressage – it was his favourite phase.

"How did Chitauri do?" Pepper asked.

"Fifteenth. But he's younger, so I didn't expect him to do as well. He was a little stiff through the flying changes."

Darcy's opinion of Loki was changing. It was obvious that he could be an asshole, but he was also clearly talented and cared about his horses. Perhaps he wasn't such a bad guy after all.

"Anyway, I must put Sleipnir back before he eats too much grass. I shall see you this evening, Pepper." Loki glanced at Darcy. "Jane's woman."

Jane's woman? Darcy gaped as Loki left. How dare he? Darcy was a person in her own right, not just some slave of Jane's (even if it sometimes felt that way). If he didn't know her name, he could at least have asked.

No, Darcy had been right the first time. Loki was definitely a talented, well spoken, sexy asshole.

She didn't even want to know where the thought about him being sexy came from.


	2. Generally Confusing Riders

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Darcy is stressed, Loki is driving her around the bend with his alternating nasty-nice act, and Jane is just Jane.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was so happy with the response to the first chapter - thanks so much everyone! I'm glad you liked it. I hope this chapter lives up to your expectations. Once again, if you find the terminology confusing please tell me so I can create a guide. I am trying not to make anything too complex, but I don't know how successful I'm being at that.
> 
> Thanks again! I treasure all of your comments, kudos, etc.

"Has anyone seen Astro's headcollar? Brown leather headcollar, brass buckles? It has his name on for goodness sake, it has to be somewhere!"

Darcy rushed through the stable, dodging through the teeming mass of grooms and horses. Cross-country day was always insane, with 80-odd horses needing to be prepared, but Darcy was rarely this stressed. Astro's headcollar had vanished into the ether at some point during the night, and while she did have a spare, Jane would throw a fit about 'not looking professional' with a tatty old headcollar.

Ducking through a door into the tack room, Darcy glanced around the mass of saddles and bits of bridles for the headcollar. Cursing to herself, she stormed out into the stable again, before finally catching sight of a buckle on top of a hay bale.

"Ha!" She yelled triumphantly, pulling out the headcollar. "There you are. Now, let's go get Astro ready."

Turning swiftly, Darcy almost collided with someone for the second time that weekend.

"Sorry!" She squeaked.

Tony raised an eyebrow at Darcy. "Still acting as insane as ever I see." His quirked lips gave away his amusement.

"Like you aren't the same at home. Pepper's told me the story about the haynet. Nervous for today?" Darcy started to walk towards Astro, presuming that Tony would follow. His horses were just a couple of stalls down.

"She tells that to everyone." Tony grumbled. "Of course not, I'm Tony Stark. Those jumps should be scared of me."

"Egoistical prat."

"Don't you know it!" Tony grinned cheerfully. "I must be going, Pepper tells me off if I spend too much time in here instead of getting myself ready. I ought to walk the course again. Toodle-oo!"

Darcy rolled her eyes at Tony's retreating back, before slipping into Astro's stall.

"Hey gorgeous. You're going to be the prettiest boy out there today. Just remember to do well for the boss-lady, OK?" Darcy stroked Astro's muzzle.

Astro nuzzled her hand in response, clearly searching for treats. Darcy laughed.

"Later, boy, after your clear round." She slipped the headcollar on clipped on a leadrope before tying a quick knot to secure Astro to the wall.

"Let's make you all pretty!"

Time seemed to fly by, Darcy completely engrossed in preparing Astro. His coat was brushed until it shone, a pattern shaded on his hindquarters, and his hooves were given several coats of hoof oil. His mane was brushed until it felt like silk, and his tail shone in the light. Darcy smiled as Astro pricked his ears up, signifying Jane's approach.

"He's all ready to be tacked up when you need him, boss. Not freaking out too much, I hope?"

Typically, Jane looked worried. "The conditions are horrible out there, the ground's all slippery and it's raining on and off. It would be a hard enough course to ride in the dry. I don't know if I can coach Astro through it."

Darcy gave a reassuring smile. "Don't sweat it. Astro's a pro – if you get in trouble, he'll get you out of it. He loves this as much as you do. You'll soar around."

Jane gave a nervous smile. "I hope so. Thor's riding close to last on Mjolnir, so he said he'd be watching."

"Did he not bring Sif?"

"Sif was retired at the end of last season." A soft voice made Darcy whirl around.

"The hell are you doing here?" She exploded, before clapping a hand over her mouth. That had been rude.

Loki looked at Darcy with obvious amusement. "I wish to speak with Jane for a moment, unless of course you are busy?" The latter part of the question was aimed at Jane.

Darcy harrumphed, turning back to Astro and running a hand down his back. She may as well get his bandages ready now, even if he didn't need them put on for a while yet.

"Of course not." Jane brushed her hair back awkwardly, stepping out of the stall to join Loki. "Darcy, would you mind getting Astro's tack ready for me? I'm using the old saddle cloth today."

Darcy nodded, using the excuse to slip away from the stall and hurry back to the horsebox. She really didn't like the idea of Jane talking to Loki. The guy was clearly an ass, and sweet Jane didn't need to be corrupted by someone like him. Even if he was smoking hot.

Darcy ground to a halt, slamming her hand against her forehead. She really had to stop thinking Loki was attractive. For goodness sake, she had known him for a day! Offensive people like him were made ugly by their personalities, irrespective of their natural looks. Or unnatural in his case – hair that black just had to be dyed.

Pushing Loki to the back of her mind, Darcy grabbed the cross-country saddle, bridle and martingale before heading back to the stable. She had to focus. It was Astro that was important this weekend, not smarmy gits who barged into the eventing scene yet seemed to already know everybody.

Loki and Jane were still talking, so Darcy ignored them and went straight to the tack room, setting her tack down before heading back to grab the saddlecloth and bandages. She thought she had escaped unseen, but apparently her ninja skills needed some work because Loki materialised beside her.

"You have hay in your hair."

Darcy jumped. "Dude! Give some warning next time! And occupational hazard of horses, the 'hay in hair' look. I'm a groom, I can get away with looking like shit."

"You don't." Loki paused. "You ought to reiterate my point to Jane – she should take the long route at fences 22 and 23. Her horse will be too tired by that point. It's a challenging course."

The first comment confused Darcy, but she was too incredulous about the second to consider it.

"Who exactly do you think you are? I don't tell Jane how to ride, and neither should you! If she thinks Astro's getting tired, she'll take the long route, she always puts him ahead of herself." She glared at Loki. Presumptuous bastard, trying to tell Jane how to ride. She didn't even think he'd been to Badminton before!

"Ah, but does she put him ahead of Thor?" With that, Loki vanished behind an enormous black horsebox – presumably his own.

For a moment, Darcy fumed. Arrogant git. But then, to her surprise, she found herself considering what he had said. Jane was so far gone on Thor it was scary. Would she prioritise impressing Thor over Astro's welfare? Darcy wanted to believe that she wouldn't – but she couldn't say for sure.

It was only when she reached Jane's horsebox that Darcy realised what Loki had meant by 'You don't.' He had been referring to her comment about looking like shit. In a roundabout way, the guy had actually complimented her.

Apparently Loki was the king of mixed signals – acting like a douchebag but giving compliments and genuinely helpful advice. Why did someone like that have to keep running into her?

Darcy was struggling to maintain her composure. She could no longer ignore the thoughts about Loki – but nor could she decide whether those thoughts were positive or negative. He was a conundrum, far too confusing for her to want to be interested – but she kind of was. Her friends had always said she had the worst taste in men. Apparently that was true.

Grabbing the bandages and saddlecloth with more force than necessary, Darcy stomped back to the tack room, frustrated with herself. She needed to remain calm for Astro and Jane, but she was having an internal crisis. It was such a bad time. If Loki had turned up at Bramham or Barbury it would have been so much easier.

Fortunately, Jane was there when she arrived, fussing over Astro's breastplate ('it's the wrong size!') so Darcy could lose herself in ensuring everything was prepared. Loki was still there, his face floating through her mind, but there were plenty of other distractions. You had to concentrate with horses, they were unpredictable. Darcy could immerse herself in Astro and the event and avoid driving herself insane with thoughts of attractive riders.

Finally, it was time for Jane to go and warm up. Jane was one of the first to ride, so only a couple of people had started the course so far. Steve was the first round, but judging from his face Darcy inferred it didn't go well. She decided not to ask.

Watching Jane school Astro over the practice jumps, Darcy couldn't help but wish she was competing too. She knew, realistically, that she didn't have the skill – but every amateur eventer dreamt of riding at Badminton. Watching Jane brought back memories of seven-year-old Darcy jumping little Smokey at her local riding school, pretending it was the final fence of Badminton. Darcy had come to accept that she would never be that good. She wasn't Jane. But that didn't always make watching easy. She was very good at lying, even to herself – but everyone had moments of weakness.

"I can imagine you up there." A voice murmured into her ear, far too close, and Darcy narrowly avoided flinching.

"Do you make a habit of sneaking up on people?" She demanded as she turned to Loki. "Also, no. I'm just not good enough. But I enjoy being a groom, so that's fine." Her voice didn't crack. It didn't.

"You could be." Loki spoke with such confidence that Darcy wanted to believe him. He really was being strangely nice.

I hope you'll be rooting for me." The words were sudden, and Darcy frowned.

"I'll be rooting for Jane, no offence."

"You'll be rooting for me as well. Darcy."

Oh, hell. That wasn't fair. Her name rolled off Loki's tongue like syrup, sweet and sinful, and Darcy's knees almost buckled.

"You wish." She managed to fire back, and Loki smirked as he walked away.

Whilst they were talking, Jane had been called to the startbox, and Darcy hurried to get a good spot to wait for her return. Damn. Loki was really complicating things.

In a way, it had been so much easier when he was just an asshole.


	3. Attractive, Elegant Riders

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This year's cross-country is undoubtedly the toughest it has been for decades. Even top riders like Jane are struggling. Darcy wishes that she could deny how intrigued she is about watching Loki tackle it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I make a lot of references to this year's actual cross-country course in this chapter. Go to http://www.badminton-horse.co.uk/index.php/2014-cross-country-course/ to view the fence details if you need some help picturing them. That website also has all the details about the event for those who are interested.

Jane was a truly fantastic rider.

Of course, anyone riding at Badminton had to be fantastic, but Jane went above that. She guided her horses like an expert, instinctually knowing when to drive them on and when to hold them back. In everyday life, Jane was absent-minded and indecisive, but when riding she was the opposite. She rode with a confidence that ensured she was regarded as one of the best.

But despite all of her skill, Darcy was worried. The weather was foul – rain hammering down and turning the ground into a mudslide – and visibility was awful. As talented as Jane was, Darcy didn't know if she would complete the course. Her fatal flaw was that she sometimes pushed too hard – and if she pushed Astro in conditions like these, something was going to go wrong.

Watching Jane on one of the massive screens, Darcy tried to keep her nerves in check. Jane was intelligent. If conditions got too tough, then Jane would retire. In the past, she had never had any qualms about retiring a tired horse. Of course, she hadn't been trying to impress Thor then... but Thor would be more impressed by her care of Astro than a fall due to pride. Jane would know that. Probably.

If Darcy had been the one riding, she would never have ventured out in conditions this bad on such a demanding course. Then again, that was probably why she wasn't good enough to ride Badminton. She had neither the experience nor the confidence. But even so, the toughness of this course was undoubtedly greater than in previous years. Jane had serious guts tackling it in this weather.

Jane turned Astro towards fence 9, The Lake, and Darcy held her breath. Year after year, this was one of the most difficult fences. Spectators flocked around it because there was invariably at least one fall. Darcy really hoped it wasn't Jane.

Astro faltered slightly on the approach, and Darcy tensed, but thankfully Jane pushed him through it and they jumped through the combination. Darcy smiled. The course was far from over – there were some horrendous jumps coming up – but one of the biggest tests had been passed successfully.

Distantly, a voice sounded over the speaker system announcing the next riders to go. Someone called Leo Fitz, who Darcy assumed was a first-timer, then Tony Stark. It would be interesting seeing him tackle the course. But the next words made Darcy freeze.

"Following Mr. Stark will be the infamous Trickster himself, returning to the Eventing scene after a break of several years to focus on academic studies. Loki Laufeyson, the half-brother of Thor Odinson, will be riding ten-year-old Chitauri for his first Badminton attempt. Following Mr. Laufeyson will be-"

Darcy tuned the rest out. Her mind was going into shock.

Loki was Thor's brother? Jane's on-off boyfriend Thor? How was that possible? The two of them could not be more different. Thor was a muscular, blonde giant of a man, and his personality and exuberance lit up a room. True, he could be somewhat oblivious and proud, and his customs were a little strange sometimes, but Darcy had put them down to Americanisms. Loki was tall, but he was slim, pale, dark-haired, a complete contrast. He moved unseen where Thor drew a crowd. His words could be rude and shocking, whilst Thor didn't seem capable of witty insults. Thor had never even mentioned a brother – but then again, everyone seemed to know Loki. He was famous. Thor might have just assumed he didn't have to.

Darcy was half-convinced that the announcers had made a mistake. Loki didn't even ride for America – she had seen the Union Jack on his horsebox. He couldn't be the half-brother of Thor. He just couldn't.

As for the 'infamous Trickster' remark, Darcy didn't know what to make of that. She had never heard of the Trickster. The Eventing scene had been her life for a good three years, she had heard of everyone who was even moderately famous. Loki couldn't be anyone that special.

Darcy was so preoccupied that she missed what was happening on the screen until a gasp went up from the crowd. Darcy glanced up at the screen to see Jane hanging on for dear life, trying to persuade Astro to turn around and collect himself. The screen showed they had collected twenty penalties. A refusal at fence 18.

Jane's face looked disappointed, and Darcy sighed. Apparently Loki had been right. Jane was pushing too hard to try and impress Thor.

No. She couldn't think of Loki now. Shoving those thoughts aside, Darcy kept her eyes trained on the screen until Jane was just a couple of jumps from home, before hurrying to go and meet Jane and Astro when they finished the course.

Sure enough, Jane emerged from the arena sopping wet and with a grimace on her face.

"He tried so hard, he really did, but I had an awful line into fence 18c and he just couldn't get over it. I went far too fast. But at least I got round, it's horrible out there, and I know there have been falls already."

"You did well, boss-lady. Don't beat yourself up over one mistake. These things happen. I expect everyone'll get a bucketload of time penalties, and if even half the riders complete in this weather I will eat my jodhpurs."

Jane smiled, swinging herself down from Astro's back and allowing Darcy to remove the saddle. A group of helpers were standing around with buckets to cool Astro down.

"I hope Thor will be OK out there."

"I'm sure he will." Darcy reassured Jane. "He's almost as good a rider as you. Besides, Mjolnir's a pro."

Jane seemed distracted, so Darcy gave her a nudge towards the rider's tent.

"Look, you were awesome out there. Go and chill, have a drink, wind down a bit. I'll clean Astro's saddle and make sure he gets a nice haynet as a reward for being so good out there, once he's cooled off. Stop worrying. You did great, Thor will do great, everything's under control."

Jane nodded and slowly wandered towards the marquee, although she was clearly preoccupied. Darcy watcher her go before hurrying to find somewhere to store the saddle. She would clean it, she just wanted to watch Loki's round first.

Darcy tried to tell herself it was just professional curiosity, checking out the competition for Jane. Loki was in first and fifteenth, after all. But it wasn't just that. She wanted to see what he was like when he rode. If you wanted to get the measure of a man, you watched how they were around animals. Loki acted like both an asshole and a gentleman. Which he really was would become apparent when he was riding.

Darcy just about made it back to the screen in time to see Tony Stark start on Arc Reactor, his gaudy yellow and red cross-country jacket standing out against the pretty grey's coat. He rode confidently, almost arrogantly, but that was Tony all over. Darcy smiled as they soared over fence 2, the Tree Trunk, before galloping out of the camera's view.

The screen switched to a shot of another rider, presumably Leo Fitz, approaching fence 19, the Wadworth Barrels. They were on a total off 88.3 penalties – Darcy expected that they had picked up twenty for an earlier refusal. His horse – Agent, according to the screen – was obviously tired and struggling. Darcy had a feeling that they weren't going to complete the course.

The minutes blurred together as Darcy watched Tony navigate the Savills Escalator (fence 5) and the Lake (fence 9) – and sure enough, Leo Fitz suffered a fall at fence 24 of the HorseQuest Quarry and was eliminated. It felt like the universe was dragging out the time deliberately, torturing Darcy with the wait.

Finally, the screen switched to the start-box and showed Loki, clad in green and gold, sat on a beautiful Chestnut stallion. His expression was determined, but the corners of his mouth were turned up in a smile. He was looking forward to this.

Loki circled Chitauri once, warming up. Then he drove the stallion forward and set off towards the first fence.

Darcy quickly realised that it had been a terrible idea to watch Loki ride.

He was beautiful. The way he rode was elegance itself – careful, precise and fluid, with a delicacy that riders like Tony or Thor never showed. He made every movement look effortless, almost like Chitauri was flying over the jumps with no aid from Loki at all. Darcy was captivated. Cross-country was a difficult event, and riders always emerged sweaty and tired just like their horses. They spent the entire round with faces of perfect concentration or occasionally fear. But not Loki. Loki didn't look tired, or overconfident, or terrified, or anything in between.

Loki looked at home. Darcy couldn't even think of the words to describe just how attractive that was.

The screen flickered to show Tony jumping fence 21, the L200 & Trailer, and Darcy almost felt a pang of loss. Tony was an incredible rider and Darcy loved watching him ride, because he did so with a cockiness that was almost amusing. But right now, she wanted to watch Loki more. She didn't want to miss a moment. She wanted to see every subtle hand movement telling Chitauri to slow down, every click of the tongue to encourage him to move forward. She wanted to see him gliding over the jumps, undeterred by the rain, and galloping across the sodden ground like it was a walk in the park.

Loki deserved to win. He was in the lead after dressage on his other horse – Sleipnir – but most riders at Badminton didn't stay in first after cross-country. It was a phase that shook everything up. Most good dressage riders were weaker in the cross-country. Not Loki. His dressage had clearly been exceptional, and this was too. Darcy had always supported Jane at events like a good groom was supposed to. But now, after seeing him ride, Darcy wanted to root for Loki.

Loki had told her that she would be rooting for him. It had been a big-headed and presumptuous statement. But it was also so, so correct.

Predictably, Loki finished the course without any jumping penalties. He did pick up time faults – 18 of them – but then again, everyone was finishing with around 20 time faults at least. It had still been an exceptional performance, and Darcy fought the urge to seek him out and snog him breathless.

She was a professional. She had a job to do, cleaning Astro's tack and giving Astro some hay. Besides, Loki had a second horse to ride – his better horse – later. He couldn't be distracted now.

But oh, how Darcy wanted to distract him. In any other situation she would be all over him. Damn the guy for being too attractive when he rode for his own good.

Darcy knew that she didn't clean Astro's tack as well as she normally did. She put hay in Astro's hay net and gave him an enormous hug and a carrot to congratulate him for his cross-country round, but her mind was too preoccupied for anything else. Instead of sorting Astro's bandages into colour order like she often did when she had spare time, Darcy grabbed her wallet and hit the trade stands for some retail therapy. She had a feeling she deserved it.

Maybe her shopping spree was interrupted a few times to watch the big screen. Maybe she had to hold in a cheer when Loki Laufeyson got a clear round (aside from time penalties) on the black stallion Sleipnir and held onto first place. Maybe.

But she did at least manage to warmly congratulate Jane when she came running up to Darcy to tell her she was in 18th place. She even managed to keep her cool around Thor, instead of doing what she wanted to and asking a million and one questions about his half-brother.

Given all of that, she really couldn't be blamed for grabbing Loki's arm as soon as she noticed him and pulling him into a secluded space. After all, it felt like he had been teasing her for ages. She was quite entitled to start teasing back now.


	4. Mysterious, Flirty Riders

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki clearly has serious family issues and his asshole-tendencies are undeniable. But Darcy really can't regret her attraction to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is later than I anticipated...

Darcy expected Loki to be surprised when she physically dragged him out of the marquee. What she didn't expect was for him to grab her shoulders and pin her against the nearest wall.

"Woah, dude!" She exclaimed, her eyes going wide.

Loki blinked, then his face seemed to clear and he stepped back. "My apologies. You surprised me. Can I ask why you attempted to manhandle me?"

Darcy's adrenaline levels had gone from close to zero to sky-high in a fraction of a second, so it took her a moment to gather her thoughts.

"Oh. Um. I just wanted to talk?"

Loki raised one eyebrow, amusement flitting across his features.

"Ugh, dammit. Now you've made me all tongue-tied."

"I make you tongue-tied?" Now Loki was actually purring.

Darcy tried not to blush. This was not going quite how she had expected it to. She was supposed to be in control here!

"Well, you did unexpectedly go ninja on me. But whatever. When were you going to tell me you're Thor Odinson's freaking brother?"

Loki's face closed off. It was like shutters came down and cast everything into shadow. Darcy had a strong feeling that she'd said something wrong.

"Thor and I have not spoken in many years. I would not consider him a brother of mine." Loki's voice was cold. "If you really wish to know about Thor, I suggest you ask him yourself."

He tried to move away, but Darcy held an arm up to block him.

"No! I was just curious. I mean, you two look nothing alike. Plus he's American and you're British. I would never have pegged you for brothers. But whatever, I won't pry." Lies. Darcy always pried. "You were freaking amazing out there!"

The abrupt change in topic seemed to throw Loki for a moment. "Thank you. It was a challenging course, but Sleipnir is a very talented horse. I had no doubt he would complete. Chitauri was argumentative at times, but he is young and I imagine that course will have given him confidence."

Loki still seemed hesitant, and Darcy wondered if she had spooked him by asking about his family. It was clear that there was history there that she was not privy to. She would have to Google it later.

"It's not just that though. The way you ride is incredible. You make it look effortless."

A smirk spread across Loki's face. It didn't quite meet his eyes, but it still sent the good kind of shivers down Darcy's spine.

"Is there a reason for this sudden flattery, Darcy?"

"Would you liked there to be?"

Loki's smirk widened. Darcy winked.

Loki let out a short laugh. "My dear Darcy, we've only just met. You can't possibly be suggesting what I think you are."

That tone was pure sin. Darcy had a feeling she was in way over her head here. Loki was clearly a guy with serious layers, and she had only just begun to uncover them.

But on the other hand, despite his obvious family issues and occasional asshole-attitude, Loki seemed to be a nice person. He cared for his horses. He made jokes. He got on well with Pepper and other grooms and riders on the scene, and he was obviously popular. Besides, it wasn't like he was a complete stranger. Darcy had known him for a day.

It felt like longer.

"And what exactly do you think I'm suggesting, Loki?"

Loki's eyes danced. Then, he reached out and grabbed her hand.

"I believe, Darcy, that this is a conversation we should be having somewhere more private."

Boom. Darcy had scored.

Grinning, Darcy squeezed Loki's hand and followed as he navigated his way through the maze of stalls and horseboxes. He kept glancing at her as he lead her towards the rider accommodation, that smirk still on his face. Darcy had an urge to kiss him, but that could wait. She wasn't some soppy teenager on a first date. All of that could happen later.

Loki stopped outside a numbered door and deftly unlocked it, dropping Darcy's hand. She absent-mindedly flexed it at the loss. However, that was forgotten when she saw the inside of the room.

"Why the frick do riders get digs this nice when us grooms are living in horseboxes?" She exclaimed, glancing around. This place reminded her of an upmarket hotel. As in, one of those five-star hotels that she had only ever seen on TV. This was so unfair.

Loki shrugged, sitting down on a posh-looking leather sofa and bending down to slip off his boots.

"I don't believe that all the rooms are like this, I requested this one specially. However, I would imagine it has to do with riders needing to be well-rested in order to perform their best."

Darcy plonked herself down beside Loki, kicking off her own shoes.

"Blatant discrimination, I'm telling you. Also, you requested a room specially? This is your first Badminton, are you even allowed to make requests?"

Loki stretched back, and Darcy was momentarily distracted by the way his shirt rode up, exposing his hipbones. Damn. The dude was certainly fit.

"It has much more to do with how much you are willing to pay than how well-known you are on the circuit. In any case, I've done Burghley and Luhmuhlen before, so the Badminton organisers may have heard of me. Apparently I have a reputation, even after my three-year absence."

"Well, you are exceptionally good." Darcy considered whether or not to bring her next point up. "They called you the Trickster."

To her surprise, Loki grinned. She had expected him to close off again.

"I did a competition called Barbury Castle International a few years back, I don't know if you've heard of it. I was riding Sleipnir and he tripped on the approach to one of the jumps and almost unseated me. I managed to remain on, but only by performing some quite interesting gymnastics. When I completed the course, the commentator claimed that I should be a stunt rider, a trickster. It was only a joke, but then at Gatcombe International a few months later I did it again. The name stuck."

He spoke about the past with fondness. A soft expression had come over his face, making him look young. Darcy wondered how old Loki actually was. He had done a degree, which suggested he was in his twenties, but it was hard to tell sometimes.

"Why did you decide to stop riding?"

Loki glanced at her. "You know, we came back here for a reason yet all you seemed to want to do now is talk." His tone suggested he was teasing.

Darcy shrugged. "You said it yourself, I don't know much about you. It's nice getting to know you."

"Tell me about you." It wasn't a question.

"There's nothing to tell. I'm pretty boring."

"I doubt it."

Darcy met Loki's gaze. The sincerity in it shot right to her core.

"I'm an only child. I was always a city girl growing up – I lived in Birmingham. It wasn't bad, but we didn't have much money and my parents were always working. I got lonely. I started volunteering at the local stables when I turned ten, just leading kids around. I'd never ridden myself, but the lady used to give us a few quid for it and I could use the cash. After a while she started offering to teach me to ride as payment, and I agreed. I got really into it and decided to go to college when I turned sixteen, get a qualification in Horse Management. I did that for a bit, then managed to wrangle a job as an apprentice groom and I've ended up here."

Loki's face was unreadable, but he brushed his hand lightly over hers. Darcy smiled.

"What about you? You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

Loki tensed for a moment, his head turning away.

"Perhaps another time. I had a very different childhood to yours. There are many parts of it I regret." He seemed to slip into memory for a moment.

Darcy squeezed his hand. "I think everyone's like that. I wanted to do this show jumping competition one time that was being held at the stables I worked it, but you paid to pay to enter. I didn't exactly have the cash, so I nicked some cigarettes off my parents and sold them at school to raise the money. It wasn't a big thing at the time, but it's not something I should have done."

Loki remained closed off.

"But anyway, the past's the past. Are we at the part where we take our clothes off now?"

As Darcy had intended, Loki's eyes sprang to hers in shock before he burst into laughter.

Darcy grinned. Tension officially broken.

"You are ridiculous." Loki declared.

"You love it."

Loki's eyes glittered, before glancing up and down Darcy's body. Something slid through her veins at that stare.

"You do, however, make a very good point. Considering the situation, there has been far too much serious talk."

Darcy gulped.

Loki leant forward, his gaze predatory. The hand holding hers moved up her arm, cupping her face. His eyes flickered down to her lips before meeting her gaze again.

He was waiting for her to make the first move.

Darcy stilled her nerves, before leaning forward and capturing Loki's lips.

He tasted like cool mint with a hint of something else, something exclusively Loki. His mouth was soft yet demanding under hers, his tongue nudging at her lips to persuade them to part. His hands moved down her back to rest of her hips, the touch gentle yet possessive.

Loki pulled back slightly, his mouth inches from Darcy's, and she longed to move in and recapture it.

"You are an intriguing woman, Darcy." Loki purred.

She would have asked what he meant but they were kissing again, more forcefully this time, Loki's hands starting to roam. Darcy's own hands fiddled with the hem of Loki's shirt as she debated slipping them underneath it.

Loki pressed Darcy back, moving her so she was lying down on the sofa. He hovered above her, his pupils blown and dark. Darcy wriggled slightly, trying to find a comfortable position for her head. Loki frowned.

"Are you-?"

"This sofa's lovely and all, but it's not great for my back." Darcy wriggled again. She was distantly aware of something putting pressure on her lower body. "D'you reckon we should move this to the bed?"

Loki's gaze darkened, desire pooling in his eyes. That was a very definite yes.

Loki stood up, pulling Darcy up with him in a surprising show of upper body strength. His arms curved around to her backside, and Darcy smiled up at him, pressing a quick kiss to the underside of his jaw.

"Bed?" She prompted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story has a T rating so I kept the romance tame. I might consider doing a 'what happened next' type sequel in the future...


	5. Fantastic, Champion Riders

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki seems to have become strangely distant after their night together - but Darcy isn't having any of that. She's determined to find out why and ensure that Loki is in a good enough mood to win Badminton.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The final chapter! I hope everyone has enjoyed reading this story, and thanks so much to everyone who has given feedback – you're all amazing and I treasure every word you write. It's been great fun writing this, and I can't believe there aren't more unusual AUs for this pairing out there.
> 
> I hope the ending lives up to your expectations!

Darcy was roughly awoken by the tinny shriek of her phone's morning alarm going off.

Groaning to herself, she tried to twist sideways to hit snooze but, to her surprise, found herself held in place. A long arm had snuck around her waist and was holding her quite securely, pressed up against a long body beside her.

Memories from last night flooding back, Darcy couldn't help but smile, even as the tinny alarm started to make her head pound.

"Loki," She murmured, "I need to move to turn the alarm off."

He didn't respond. Somehow, the git was still deeply asleep.

Rolling her eyes, Darcy tried to pry Loki's arm off her body, but he wouldn't budge. Even in sleep he was ridiculously strong. That strength had been a wonderful attribute last night...

Resigning herself to her fate, Darcy pressed her face into the pillow to try and drown out the noise. In a minute, the alarm would automatically set itself for a ten minute snooze. She always made her first alarm go off twenty minutes early anyway, so it wasn't that big a deal.

She must have drifted off again, because the next thing she knew someone was crawling over her to hit the 'off' button for her alarm.

"Loki?" She asked sleepily.

"Your alarm is a menace." Damn. His voice was sexy in the mornings. All gruff and scratchy.

"Mmm." Darcy rubbed her eyes, trying to wake herself up. "What time is it?"

"Too early."

"Helpful." Darcy struggled to inject appropriate sarcasm into her tone this early in the morning. She sat up, pulling the covers up with her. It was lovely and warm in bed – outside it was probably freezing.

Loki was perched on the end of the bed, his pale chest almost glowing in the dim light. Darcy could see a hickey on his chest from last night. She smiled inwardly.

"I should probably go." She commented sadly. "Astro needs grooming and I have to sort his tack out. Jane's probably panicking over the final horse inspection."

Loki nodded slowly, his face unreadable. "Of course. I'm afraid I can't remember where all your clothes went."

Darcy let out a short laugh. Neither could she.

Ten minutes later, she had scrounged up most of her (horribly wrinkled)clothes and looked decent enough to step outside. She ran her fingers through her hair, unknotting it. Loki was still perched topless on the end of the bed.

"I don't suppose you have a comb?" Darcy asked.

Loki gestured towards a plain door at the back of the room. "Bathroom."

Smiling in thanks, Darcy wandered into the bathroom and quickly found a nice black comb (one of the expensive, imported ones made of horn, as opposed to her cheap plastic one) and some deodorant that, while for men, still made her smell slightly more acceptable.

Emerging looking a little less thoroughly-shagged, she found Loki collecting a towel from a pile by the door. He seemed a little off, but Darcy couldn't put her finger on why.

"Well, I'm sure I'll see you later. Good luck for today! Give Sleipnir and Chitauri carrots from me." Darcy tried to inject extra enthusiasm into her voice, going onto her tiptoes to press a light kiss to Loki's lips.

He relaxed a little under her touch, but he still seemed unusually tense, and he barely kissed back. "I will."

Darcy remained looking into Loki's eyes for a moment, trying to decipher the emotions hidden there. Then she shrugged, and with a wave exited the room and made her way back towards Jane's horsebox.

This early, the grounds were still quiet, although some of the other grooms were carrying grooming kits and rugs looking about as awake as Darcy felt. Pepper gave her a wave as she walked past with a headcollar, and Maria and Bucky sent grins her way from where they were sat together cleaning tack.

Reaching the horsebox, Darcy unlocked the side door and clambered in, pulling the curtain on the window shut before yanking off her shirt. Glancing around, she found a clean polo top in her suitcase and pulled it on, instantly feeling better. Now it was a bit less obvious that she had spent the night with someone else.

Not that she really minded everyone else knowing. Hell, she kind of wanted them to know, just so she could brag about it. But she didn't know what Loki would think of that. He had seemed very closed this morning – it was possible that he had only wanted a secret one-night fling.

Pulling her hair back with a scrunchie, Darcy grabbed her favourite grooming kit and opened the horsebox door again, heading towards the stables. Her face fell when she noticed the state of Astro's mane.

"Aww man. Seriously? You had to try and rub your mane now? You just live to make my life difficult."

Resigning herself to some hard work making Astro presentable for the final horse inspection, Darcy went in search of a spare bucket so she could wash some of the more stubborn stains out of Astro's coat.

It wasn't long before the stable was waking up, a faint buzz of excitement going around. Yesterday, around 80 horses had been competing – but today, that number was down to below 35. A ridiculous number had been eliminated or retired yesterday due to the horrendously difficult weather combined with a tricky cross-country course. Even so, many of the grooms and riders who were no longer in the competition had turned up to wish everyone luck.

"Astro went well yesterday." Someone spoke behind Darcy, and she turned around to see Maria standing there.

"Yeah, Jane rode well. She was gutted about the refusal but hey-ho, these things happen. How's Nick doing?"

Maria shrugged. "He retired Patch, but then again they weren't that highly placed after dressage so I'm not surprised about that. SHIELD picked up one refusal but they're just about in the top twenty. I think he's glad to have completed."

"It was a horrible course." Darcy clicked at Astro to get the horse to pick up his off-hind hoof.

"You know Steve fell off Stars and Stripes?"

"He did?" Darcy was surprised. "I thought that was his better horse."

"Definitely – Bucky says he's quite upset. He completed on American Boy but with two refusals and a bucketload of time penalties. I doubt they'll place, but then again he can't be worse than 35th at this point."

Darcy twisted the hoof pick in her hand and finally got the rest of the mud out of Astro's hoof. She allowed him to set it down.

"Well, at least he wasn't injured."

Maria smiled. "That's the most important thing. Anyway, I have to go and find Erik, but tell Jane good luck."

"Erik?" Darcy raised an eyebrow. She hadn't heard of an Erik.

"Selvig? He's Loki's groom – you know, the hot new rider. He borrowed a curry-comb yesterday. I'll introduce you later." Maria vanished, and Darcy blinked.

It hadn't occurred to her that Loki would have a groom – which was stupid, all things considered. In fact, she had a feeling she had even heard him mention the name Erik before. Darcy wondered if she could persuade this Erik to tell her some more about Loki. There was certainly plenty of mystery around his past.

However, Darcy had no time to pursue that train of thought, because Jane appeared and suddenly Darcy was rushing around trying to finish preparing for the horse inspection. She applied a final coat of hoof oil and then Astro was being trotted up in front of Badminton House, being watched closely by a vet. Having passed the inspection, it was all hands on deck as Darcy scrubbed tack and tried to decide which bridle Jane would want to jump Astro in.

Finally, Darcy felt prepared enough to take a half-hour break and watch the first riders jump. The top twenty, which Jane was in, jumped later than everyone else, so there was plenty of time.

She was surprised to see a familiar tall figure already watching from the sidelines.

"Any good rounds so far?" She asked.

Loki didn't flinch, or seem surprised that she was there. It was unfair – he was always so good at sneaking up on her.

"No-one has gone clear yet. I believe that everyone is tired. Nick Fury knocked two poles on SHIELD, and Phil Coulson almost mowed down a fence on Fanboy. I'll be intrigued to see how Fandral Dashing does, he's competing next."

Loki didn't look at her while he was speaking, his eyes focused on the arena.

Darcy peered out and noticed a large, chestnut mare cantering into the ring.

"Fandral's Norwegian, right? I think I met him at Blenheim last year."

"He rides for Norway, but he spent much of his life in America." Loki spoke with familiarity – Darcy wondered if the two were friends.

Fandral rode extravagantly, and Darcy remembered watching him do cross-country last year and being amused by how much he showed off. It looked like he was going to go clear until his horse clipped the second-to-last jump and the pole rolled off.

"Four jumping penalties, zero time penalties for Fandral Dashing on Asgardian. He remains in 32nd place. Into the arena now, Eric Lensherr on Magneto."

Darcy glanced up at Loki, taking in his calculating expression. He looked like he was sizing up the competition, cataloguing how everyone rode the course and the mistakes they made. She was somewhat surprised that he hadn't yet taken the opportunity to either tease her or mention last night.

"Are both your horses competing later?"

"Chitauri is in tenth and Sleipnir first, so yes." Loki still didn't look at her, his eyes following Magneto as he missed a stride between two jumps and consequently knocked a pole.

Darcy found herself wanting to make Loki meet her eyes. It might just be nerves, but he was acting strangely and she didn't like it.

"So, celebratory shag after you win?"

His eyes snapped to hers. Darcy's own eyes widened at the sudden darkness of his gaze.

"You wish last night to be more than a one-time occurrence?" His voice was jointly full of heat and curiosity.

"Loki, I'm not sure if you noticed, but you kind of gave me the best night of my life. So yeah, I want it to be more than a one-time thing. In fact, if you didn't seem to have some kind of emotion-phobia, I might even ask you out. You're an awesome guy when you're not being a dick. If that isn't cool, just tell me, and I'll back off. But you've been acting kind of strange today and I can't work out what you want." Darcy took a breath before she ended up going on a full-on rant. Sometimes she talked a bit too much.

"The best night?" Loki seemed smug. "Ahh, but that was only a teaser, Darcy. I can do much better than that." Darcy noticed that he was deliberately avoiding the comment about being scared of emotions.

"Alright, I'll make you a deal. Win Badminton, on either horse, and you get to show me just how much better you can make it. But, if you don't win, I get to show you just how creative I can be. Agreed?"

The smirk on Loki's face was devilish. "Agreed. Although, only having this deal for Badminton seems like a wasted opportunity. Is Jane not riding at Chatsworth next weekend?"

Darcy's heart skipped a beat. Now Loki wanted to continue this past this weekend?

Hell yes.

"She's definitely doing Houghton in two weeks time. But if you give me your number I can text you when I know?"

"Of course."

The day only improved from there. Darcy grinned as Jane clinched a clear round, aside from time penalties, on Astro and slid forward into eleventh place. She tried to contain her cheer as Chitauri retained his tenth position. When Loki rode into the arena on Sleipnir, he had two fences in hand, so could afford eight jumping penalties presuming he had no time faults.

He got three time penalties. But he also only got four jumping penalties.

Darcy had never packed away as quickly as she did that afternoon, ensuring that everything was ready for Jane to go whenever she was ready. Jane was staying until later to spend some time with Thor, so it was easy enough for Darcy to slip away. It took forever for Loki to finish giving interviews and accept his trophy at the award ceremony, but finally, after Darcy had almost died of impatience, he was done.

Considering they weren't in an official relationship, it might have been a bad idea to kiss him as soon as he left the awards podium. But Darcy didn't care. She had waited quite long enough.

Judging from the beaming smile on his face and the way he almost dragged her away, Loki didn't care either.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, OK, maybe it's a cliché happy ending. I don't care. We all need more fairytale endings in our lives.
> 
> However, while this story ends here, this universe is only just beginning... I will be writing a sequel! I don't know when it will appear, but I want to continue this universe. In the future, the scene that I missed out at the end of last chapter will be appearing as a one-shot for everyone who wants to read it, and I will also be continuing the adventures of Loki, Darcy and the others in another story revolving around a different Horse Trials. I might even go into some of Loki's backstory.
> 
> Thanks so much again for reading.


End file.
